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Elsa Keslassy
International Correspondent
@elsakeslassy See All
Larissa Sirah Herden Vixens, the Paris-based production banner founded by Gary Farkas, Clément Lepoutre and Olivier Muller, is heading into the Cannes market with its most ambitious slate to date, spanning French and English-language thrillers, first features, genre films and auteur-driven projects.
Part of a wider group that also includes Phantasm, the commercials and music video powerhouse, and Phenomena, a photography agency launched three years ago, Vixens has been spearheading production, brand financing, private financing and, most recently, executive production for foreign films shooting in France. Farkas, Lepoutre and Muller have built a community of up-and-coming talent around Phantasm, which produces roughly 40 to 50 commercial and music video projects a year, including campaigns for Hermès, a Prada campaign, an Olivia Rodrigo music video directed by Petra Collins at the Château de Versailles and a recent Weeknd music video directed by Gaspar Noé. At the Cannes Film Festival, the company is behind Quentin Dupieux’s “Full Phil,” starring Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson, and James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver — and helped complete the financing for both films. “Most producers do one thing — they’re either producers or executive producers,” Farkas told Variety in an interview with Lepoutre and Muller on the eve of Cannes. “Within Vixens, we have four distinct activities, plus all the synergies with Phantasm and the rest of the group.” Vixens’ production activity began a decade ago with the micro-budget U.S.-shot film “Sam Was Here.” Since then, the company has scaled up significantly, recently co-producing Claire Denis’ “The Fence” with Olivier Delbosc’s banner Curiosa, as well as “D’un monde à l’autre,” a documentary directed by Jérémie Renier and co-produced with Hugo Sélignac’s Chi-Fou-Mi, which Pan Européenne will release in France on June 10. Now, Vixens is entering a new phase with a six-project slate that Farkas says reflects its hybrid identity: three French-language films, two English-language films and one Arabic-language film; three first features and three projects from established directors; and shoots split between France and international locations. Underscoring the synergies within Vixens, the company is reteaming with Lebanese director Jessy Moussallem, who has been working with Phantasm for nearly a decade, first on music videos and then commercials. Vixens is producing Moussallem’s anticipated feature debut, “Faux Bijoux,” following her short by the same name, which world premiered at Sundance and played at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. “Faux Bijoux” is an Arabic-language film co-written by Jihad Hojeily (“Capernaum”). The story follows a Lebanese family after the Beirut port explosion as its members attempt to preserve appearances through lies, facades and small schemes. Muller said Moussallem had wanted to make her feature debut for a while. In order to help finance it, Vixens self-funded her short film, which was shot in Lebanon and turned out to be a critical hit. “That helped position the feature with financiers,” Muller said. Le Pacte has boarded the project for distribution in France, and Charades is handling international sales. Vixens is producing with Belgium’s Frakas. The film is expected to start shooting in Lebanon in late September, depending on the situation on the ground. On the French side, the company is working with Kim Chapiron, another prolific and successful music video filmmaker, on his next film, with Chi-Fou-Mi. The untitled project is described as “a nervy, exhilarating thriller set in the clandestine world of beauty.” The film follows a young woman who descends into the world of illegal injections, amid questions of power, dependency and the transformation of bodies. Lepoutre said Chapiron’s project is inspired by real cases in France involving young women who set themselves up as informal practitioners, offering discounted Botox and injections with dubious products. “It’s not body horror,” Lepoutre said. “It’s really a tense thriller with comedy elements in the dialogue, colorful characters.” Chapiron conducted extensive research, meeting journalists, illegal injectors and even attending cosmetic surgery procedures. The film is expected to shoot in November and December. Vixens is also re-teaming with Curiosa on “Rubis,” the first feature from Martin Scali, a close collaborator of Wes Anderson who worked as second-unit director on his films, notably “The Phoenician Scheme” and “Asteroid City.” “Rubis” is a noir thriller following a young engineer who takes over her struggling family factory — a toxic-waste recycling business — and is gradually pulled into a world of corruption and organized crime. Lepoutre positioned the film as both a crime drama and an environmental thriller. Scali has previously directed several shorts, including “Canyon,” which Vixens produced, as well as music videos for Orelsan and Major Lazer, among others. A third French project is in early development with Yann Demange, whose next project, “Lineage,” will star Isabelle Huppert, Dali Benssalah, Adam Bessa and Raye. Internationally, Vixens is producing an English-language thriller from Nima Nourizadeh, whose credits include “Project X,” “American Ultra,” “Gangs of London” and “The Gentlemen.” Set in the rap world, the untitled film follows the meteoric rise of a young artist on the day of his first concert, as events spiral into violence. The story unfolds through four perspectives: the rapper’s manager, his ex-girlfriend, his father and finally the rapper himself. “It’s completely fictional, but inspired by the reality of young U.S. rappers who blow up, live very furtive lives, stay anchored in gang culture and often end up killed,” Lepoutre said. Another international project on Vixens’ roster is “Nymph,” the English-language first feature from Czech director Eva Vik, whose short “Serpentine,” starring Barbara Palvin, premiered at Tribeca. Co-produced with Get Away, Vincent Maraval’s company, and sold internationally by Goodfellas, “Nymph” is described as a psychological horror thriller with black humor, following a young woman who develops a troubling connection with insects that gradually fractures her identity. Beyond production, Vixens has also become known for bringing brands into auteur cinema as financing partners. Over the past seven years, the company has worked on around 10 brand-financed projects, including Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” Cédric Jimenez’s “Dog 51,” Gaspard Noé’s “Lux Æterna” and Denis’ “The Fence,” with brands including Saint Laurent, Lacoste and AMI. “We structure each deal bespoke, film by film,” Farkas said. “Broadly, we bring brands in as co-producers, and we figure out how to elevate and showcase their image, in or out of the film.” The company has also moved into private financing, raising money from family offices and investors whose primary activity is not cinema. That model recently brought Vixens into “Paper Tiger” (produced by RT Features and Anthony Katagas for AK Prods.) and “Full Phil” (produced by Chi-Fou-Mi). “Traditional equity is already mapped by CAA, WME, UTA. So we said: just like we went off-market with brands, let’s go off-market with private funds that don’t usually invest in films,” said Farkas, who started his career working in international sales at Maraval’s previous banner Wild Bunch. Vixens has also begun executive producing work in France for foreign shoots, kicking off with “Fleur,” which shot in Paris with Halle Berry, Marton Csokas and Matthias Schoenaerts. The company has been able to take bigger swings in cinema and leverage its access to capital and talent thanks to its activity in commercials via Phantasm. “We’re not held hostage to financing sources for development. It lets us develop ambitious projects without the pressure. It gives us access to greater talent — better department heads, DPs — and shooting experience that’s invaluable,” Muller said.
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